The Road to the Cross: Knowing vs. Thinking You Know Jesus

In our life as Christians, there's a profound difference between simply thinking we know Jesus and truly knowing Him in our hearts. This Palm Sunday, I want to share some reflections on this difference and how it can transform our lives during challenges and victories alike. As we continue our "Road to the Cross" series, Part Three focuses on that critical distinction Jesus presents to us.

Understanding the True Meaning of Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday isn't just about a parade where everyone suddenly recognized Jesus as Lord and got converted. The reality was much more complex.

Jesus had about 120 total disciples at this point.  These were people who were committed to following Him, many of whom would later be in the upper room. They understood what was happening when Jesus gave them instructions in Matthew 21:1-3: "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This directly fulfilled the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey."

While this core group was worshiping Him and shouting "Hosanna" (which means "save us now!"), most of the city was simply observing, asking, "Who is this?" Matthew 21:10-11 records: "When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, 'Who is this?' The crowds answered, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.'"

The atmosphere was like when people gather for a spectacle—similar to when a fight breaks out at school and everyone rushes to see it, pretending they have a stake in the outcome when they're really just curious onlookers.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey during Passover, He was making an unmistakable statement: "I am the King, I am the Messiah." This wasn't an accident—it was a deliberate declaration that drew a line in the sand.

The Proof Is in the Promise

We're constantly looking for evidence, but with Jesus, the proof is in the promise. Everything He says will be accomplished. The promise is the proof.

Jesus fulfilled His mission by riding into Jerusalem on a donkey as foretold hundreds of years before in the book of Zechariah. The promise was the proof. In Luke 18:31, Jesus said, "Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled," and it was.

So if God has spoken something over you, it's going to come to pass. You've got to trust it because He said it. When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved everything:

• As Prophet – every word He spoke was true
• As Priest – His blood paid our debt
• As King – He reigns now and forever

What the People Really Wanted vs. What Jesus Offered

To understand Palm Sunday deeper, we need to understand the "Munus Triplex," which is a Latin theological term meaning "the threefold office" referring to Jesus fulfilling three Old Testament offices:

1. The Prophet – traditionally represents God to the people, but Jesus doesn't just speak on behalf of God, He IS the Word of God.

2. The Priest – traditionally represents the people to God, but Jesus doesn't just offer symbolic sacrifices, He IS the sacrifice. As Hebrews 7:27 tells us, "He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself."

3. The King – traditionally rules with authority, but Jesus doesn't just rule on behalf of God, He IS God, the King who rules forever. John 18:37 records Pilate asking Jesus, "You are a king, then!" to which Jesus responds that He was born for this purpose.

But here's where the disappointment came: the people didn't want a priest, they wanted a general. They didn't want a prophet, they wanted a politician. And they didn't want the kind of king that rides in on a donkey, they wanted a military leader who would overthrow Rome and establish Israel's dominance.

The people were waving palm branches, which were symbols of military victory, and shouting "Hosanna" (save us now), but Jesus wasn't coming to fight Rome. He came to fulfill the ancient promise not of a revolution, but of redemption.

Jesus was offering something wildly different. When people were looking for a kingdom to be established through political and military power, Jesus said, "The kingdom you're looking for is here right now; it's in the middle of you." This wasn't the message anybody wanted to hear.

No wonder the cries of "Hosanna" from the masses quickly turned to "Crucify Him" within just a few days. That's what happens when we think we know what God should do but don't truly know Him.

When We Think We Know vs. When We Know

We all have expectations about what God should do in our situations. We think God should bless this, fix that, change this, restore that. But what if God has something better? And what if it's harder?

Everybody wanted a king who would fix their problems the way they wanted them fixed. But God had something better, though harder. Jesus didn't come to give us what we want, He came to give us what we need.

Missing the promise comes at a cost. In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus wept over Jerusalem saying, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes... because you did not know the time of your visitation." He prophesied the city's destruction, which happened just 40 years later.

The Bible warns in Matthew 7:22-23 that many people will say, "Lord, Lord" on Judgment Day, only to hear, "I never knew you." There are many people who think they know Jesus but do not truly know Him. They weren't punished for being loud, they were punished for being wrong.

Don't Get Caught in the Hype—Find Your Hope

Don't get caught up in the crowd or the hype moment. Pick up your palm branch today, but don't wave it out of hype, wave it out of hope. Wave it because of who you know Jesus is to you.

I've shouted "Hosanna" a few times in my life when caught up in the moment. I've gotten attached to some hype before. But I've also learned the difference. There have been moments in my life where I wanted God to fix something my way, but I discovered that He didn't want to fix the thing. He wanted to fix me.  I discovered this not by thinking I knew Him, but by knowing Him. 

Those are the moments that have changed me the most and drawn me closer to God. I encourage you to put your trust in the promise and in Jesus for who He really is. Don't just think you know Him, truly know Him.

As 2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds us, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." This is what it means to live by faith: Knowing something that isn't yet visible in the natural world.

The Joy of Truly Knowing Jesus

Can you imagine the joy in your heart someday when you know Jesus through your trial and through your circumstance? When people ask, "How are you able to hold your head up every day?" and you can say, "I know Jesus because I trust Him."

Can you imagine that feeling when no one can figure out why you're so happy? And then someday, when you stand before Him and enter His presence and say, "Oh Lord, I knew it," and He responds, "Oh yes, you did, and I knew you too. Enter into my presence to rejoice with me forevermore."

That's the ultimate reward. That's what knowing Jesus really means.

Preparing Our Hearts for Easter

Next week, as churches around the world fill up for Easter, many people will be "thinking" about Jesus, His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. But don't settle for thinking, move to knowing.

The proof of His love isn't in the outcome, it's in the promise itself. That promise stands today. He's still the prophet who speaks, the priest who saves, and the king who reigns.

His kingdom operates differently than what everyone is craving. In God's kingdom, the first is the last, the last is first, the top is the bottom, and the bottom is the top. Even when things don't look like they're working out, we can trust His Word that "the steps of a good man are ordered by God" and that He "blesses the righteous and surrounds them with favor as with a shield."

When we shout "Hosanna" (save us), it's the same word someone drowning would use to call for a lifeguard. And we can trust that Jesus is the only one who can truly save us.

A Call to Know Jesus Today

If you don't know Jesus yet—if you've been thinking about Him but haven't yet put your faith in Him—today can be the day you draw a line in the sand. Today can be the day you stop just thinking you know Jesus and start truly knowing Him.

Will you pray with me? Say: "I ask you, Lord, to forgive me of my sins, turning away from the old life, walking into a brand new life with you. I will never be the same. Today I'm drawing the line in the sand. I'm declaring that you are the king of my heart and my life, and I will serve you from this day forward. My cry is Hosanna!"

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